View source for Seil

{{Short description|Island in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox Scottish island
|coordinates = {{coord|56.30|-5.62|display=inline}}
|location_map=Scotland Argyll and Bute
|caption=Seil shown within Argyll and Bute
|GridReference=NM742172
|ImageCaption=Cottages at [[Ellenabeich]] under the cliffs of Dùn Mòr
|Image=Isle of Seil - Ellenabeich 02.JPG
|celtic name= Saoil{{sfnp|Mac an Tàilleir|2003|p=104}}
|norse name=
|meaning of name=
|area=  {{cvt|1329|ha|sqmi|frac=8}}
|area rank= 42
|highest elevation=Meall Chaise, {{cvt|146|m|ft|0}} 
|Population=580<ref name=RESAS>{{RESAS}}</ref>
|population rank= 20
|population density ={{cvt|43.6|PD/km2}}<ref name=RESAS/>
|main settlement= [[Balvicar]]
|island group=[[Slate Islands, Scotland|Slate Islands]] 
|local authority=[[Argyll and Bute]]
|references={{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}}<ref name=OS>{{Ordnance Survey}}</ref>
}}
'''Seil''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|iː|l}}; {{langx|gd|Saoil}}, {{IPA|gd|ˈs̪ɯːl}}) is one of the [[Slate Islands, Scotland|Slate Islands]], located on the east side of the [[Firth of Lorn]], {{convert|7|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} southwest of [[Oban]], in [[Scotland]]. Seil has been linked to the mainland by bridge since the late 18th century.

The origins of the island's name are unclear and probably pre-Gaelic. It was a part of the kingdom of [[Dalriada]] in the 7th century but by the 16th century, Seil seemed to have been primarily agricultural in nature. It became part of the estates of the [[Earl of Breadalbane and Holland|Breadalbane]] family and in the early 18th century they began to exploit the rich potential of the [[Neoproterozoic]] [[slate]] beds. The excavations from the island's [[quarry|quarries]] were exported all over the world during the course of the next two centuries. Today, the economy is largely dependent on agriculture and [[tourism]].

The "dangerous seas"{{sfnp|Murray|1966|p=76}} of the Firth of Lorn have claimed many lives and there are several shipwrecks in the vicinity of Seil. Kilbrandon Church has fine examples of [[stained glass]] windows and an association with [[Brendan the Navigator|St Brendan]].

==Etymology==
There is some linguistic continuity between the earliest and modern names for many of the larger islands surrounding Scotland. However, the derivations of many of these names are obscure "suggesting that they were coined very early on, some perhaps by the earliest settlers after the Ice Age."{{sfnp|Broderick|2013|pp= 20-21}} Even when names used both in the historic past and the present have some apparent meaning this may indicate a phonetic resemblance to an older name, but one that may be "so old and so linguistically and lexically opaque that we do not have any plausible referents for them."{{sfnp|Broderick|2013|p=21}}{{#tag:ref|Broderick is quoting Nicolaisen (1992) p. 2{{sfnp|Nicolaisen|1992|p=2}}|group="Note"}} 
[[File:Clachan Bridge2.jpg|thumb|left|Fast-flowing sea water under the 18th-century [[Clachan Bridge]] that links Seil to mainland Scotland]]
The ''[[Ravenna Cosmography]]'', which was compiled by an anonymous cleric in [[Ravenna]] around AD&nbsp;700, mentions various Scottish island names. This document frequently used maps as a source of information and it has been possible to speculate about their modern equivalents based on assumptions about voyages made by early travellers 300–400 years prior to its creation. The island of {{lang|la|Saponis}} mentioned in this list may refer to Seil.{{sfnp|Fitzpatrick-Matthews|2013|loc="Group 34: islands in the Irish Sea and the Western Isles 1"}}{{#tag:ref|Youngson favours Jura as the location of ''Saponis''.{{sfnp|Youngson|2001|p= 62}}|group="Note"}}

Seil is probably a pre-Gaelic name,{{sfnp|Mac an Tàilleir|2003|p=104}} although a case has been made for a Norse derivation.{{sfnp|Rae|2011|p=9}} It has also been argued that Seil could be the location of [[Hinba]], an island associated with [[Columba|St Columba]]. Reasons include the island's association with [[Brendan the Navigator|St Brendan]], its location on an inshore trade route from [[County Antrim|Antrim]] to the north and its suitability for a substantial settlement. The {{lang|gd|Muirbolcmar}} (great sea bag) referred to in texts about Hinba could refer to the Seil Sound and narrows at [[Clachan Bridge]] where the "bag" captures the rapidly flowing water that floods under the bridge.  Rae, equating "Hinba" with the Gaelic {{lang|gd|Inbhir}}, notes that the adjacent mainland parish of Kilninver means "church of Inbhir"  and suggests that the derivation of "Seil" may be of Scandinavian origin with similarities to the [[East Frisia]]n place name {{lang|nl|Zijl}} or {{lang|nl|Syl}} meaning a "seep or passage of water". This, he proposes, could have been a Norse interpretation of Hinba/Inbhir.{{sfnp|Rae|2011| pp= 3-11}} However, Mac an Tàilleir notes that  Kilninver or {{lang|gd|Cill an Inbhir}} "appears to mean 'church by the river mouth', and an older form of {{lang|gd|Cill Fhionnbhair}}, 'Finbar's church' appears".{{sfnp|Mac an Tàilleir|2003|p=72}}{{#tag:ref|There are several other contenders for the location of Hinba, including Jura, [[Colonsay]] and [[Canna, Scotland|Canna]].|group="Note"}}
[[File:Blaeu - Atlas of Scotland 1654 - LORNA - The Firth of Lorn.jpg|thumb|[[Joan Blaeu]]'s Firth of Lorn in the ''[[Blaeu Atlas of Scotland]]'']]
It has also been suggested that Seil may be the {{lang|la|Innisibsolian}} referred to in the ''[[Chronicle of the Kings of Alba]]'', which records a victory of the Scots over a [[Viking]] force during the time of [[Donald II of Scotland|Donald II]] in the 9th century.{{sfnp|Hudson |1998| p= 9}} The name used in the 12th century ''[[Book of Leinster]]'' is {{lang|mga|Sóil}}.{{sfnp|Fraser|2009|p=246}}{{#tag:ref|Haswell-Smith suggests that the name Seil is "probably" from the Gaelic {{lang|gd|sealg}} - the hunting island.{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|p=76}}|group="Note"}}

The earliest comprehensive written list of Hebridean island names was undertaken by [[Donald Monro (Dean)|Donald Monro]] in his ''[[Description of the Western Isles of Scotland]]'' of 1549 in which Seil is listed.  The modern spelling of "Seil" also appears in the 1654 ''[[Blaeu Atlas of Scotland]]''.{{sfnp|Blaeu|1654|loc=''Lorna''}}

==Geography==
[[File:Seill.jpg|thumb|left|From Ellenabeich village looking over Easdale Sound to [[Scarba]] island in the distance.]]

Seil is separated from mainland Scotland by the Clachan Sound, which is only about {{convert|21.3|m|ft}} at its narrowest point.<ref name=OS/>{{sfnp|Murray|1977|p=121}} To the west lies the sea-lane of the [[Firth of Lorn]]. The island of [[Luing]] lies across the Cuan Sound to the south and beyond are [[Lunga, Slate Islands|Lunga]] and [[Scarba]]. Smaller islands surrounding Seil are its companion Slate Islands of [[Easdale]], [[Torsa]], [[Belnahua]] and [[Shuna, Slate Islands|Shuna]]. [[Eilean Dubh Mòr]] is to the south-west with the [[Garvellachs]] beyond, with [[Insh Island|Insh]] to the north west.<ref name=OS/>

Seil forms part of [[Nether Lorn]], a region of [[Argyll]] between [[Loch Awe]] and [[Loch Melfort]] that includes the offshore islands<ref>[https://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst16805.html "Nether Lorn"]. Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 30 May 2020.</ref>{{sfnp|Fraser|2009|p=245}} located in the modern council area of [[Argyll and Bute]]. The highest point on the island is the summit of Meall Chaise at {{cvt|146|m|ft|0}} above sea level.<ref name=OS/>

Seil is some {{convert|7|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} miles from Oban, travelling north by road along the B844 and [[A roads in Zone 8 of the Great Britain numbering scheme|A 816]].<ref name=OS/>

[[Balvicar]], in the centre of the island, is the main settlement and has a harbour with commercial fishing boats, the island shop, and a golf club.<ref>[https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/seil/seil/index.html "Seil"]. Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved 30 May 2020.</ref> On the west side of the island lies the former slate-mining village of [[Ellenabeich]]. This village, known for its white [[slate]] worker's cottages, has attracted an "artist's colony"{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}} and has a number of holiday cottages.

There are three other small settlements; Cuan at the southern tip, Oban Seil north of Balvicar and Clachan Seil, which is closest to the Clachan Bridge.<ref name=OS/>

== Geology ==
The larger part of the bedrock of Seil is provided by the [[Neoproterozoic]] age Easdale Slate Formation, a [[pyrites|pyritic]], [[graphite|graphitic]] [[pelite]] belonging to the Easdale Subgroup of the [[Dalradian]] [[Argyll Group]]. Zones of [[metamorphism|metamorphosed]] intrusive [[igneous rock]]s occur within the southeast of the island. [[Andesite|Andesitic]] [[lava]]s of the Lorn Plateau Lava Formation dominate the west of the island. Seil is cut by numerous NW-SE aligned [[basalt]] and micro[[gabbro]] [[dike (geology)|dykes]] which form a part of the ‘Mull Swarm’ which is of early [[Palaeogene]] age.
[[Raised beach|Raised marine deposits]] of sand and gravel occur widely around the margins of the island, a legacy of late [[Quaternary]] changes in relative sea-level.<ref>{{cite web |title=Onshore Geoindex |url=https://mapapps2.bgs.ac.uk/geoindex/home.html |website=British Geological Survey |publisher=British Geological Survey |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Kilmartin, Scotland sheet 36, Bedrock and Superficial deposits |url=http://www.largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/iip/mapsportal.html?id=1002368 |website=BGS large map images |publisher=British Geological Survey |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Lismore, Scotland sheet 44(E), Solid Edition |url=http://www.largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/iip/mapsportal.html?id=10023689 |website=BGS large map images |publisher=British Geological Survey |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Ardmaddy Castle - general view from E.jpg|thumb|[[Ardmaddy Castle]] on mainland Scotland, seat of the government of Nether Lorn under the [[Earl of Breadalbane and Holland|Breadalbane]] family{{sfnp|Withall|2013|p=5}}]]
The [[Loarn mac Eirc|Cenél Loairn]] kindred controlled what is today known as [[Lorne, Scotland|Lorn]] in the kingdom of [[Dalriada]]. The 7th-century {{lang|gd|Míniugud senchasa fher nAlban}} separates the Cenél Loairn into three subsidiary groups, of which the Cenél Salaich may have controlled Nether Lorn.{{sfnp|Fraser|2009|pp=245-46}}{{#tag:ref|Fraser bases this identification on the linguistic relationships between ''Salaich'', the "''flumen Sale''" that appears in [[Adomnán]]'s ''Vita Columbae'' and the modern Gaelic name for Seil of ''Saoil''. |group="Note"}}

In the mid-16th century Monro wrote of Seil: "{{lang|sco|Narrest this iyle layes Seill, thre myle of lenthe, ane half myle breidth, leyand from the southwest to the northeast, inhabit and manurit, guid for store and corne, pertaining to the Erl of Ergyle.}}"<ref>Monro (1549), No. 32</ref>{{#tag:ref|Translation into modern English: "Nearest this isle [of Lunga] lies Seill, three miles long,  half a mile broad, oriented southwest to northeast, inhabited and fertilised, good for provisions and corn, [and] owned by the Earl of Argyle."|group="Note"}}

Ardfad Castle is a ruin in the northwest of Seil. It was the home of the [[Clan MacDougall|Macdougalls]] of Ardencaple, but following the failure of King [[James VII]] to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland in the late 17th century the Macdougalls lost much of their lands to the [[Duke of Argyll]].{{sfnp|Withall|2013|p=5}} The castle was "a well-built structure of stone and lime, occupying a prominent situation on a crag and tail, not unlike Edinburgh Castle rock. In 1915, it was still fairly well preserved, with the walls standing to some height and two round corner towers".<ref name=Ardfad>[https://canmore.org.uk/site/22589/seil-ardfad-castle "Seil, Ardfad Castle"]. Canmore. Retrieved 31 May 2020.</ref> However, by 1971 only the remains of the southwest round tower survived.<ref name=Ardfad/>

Seil then became part of the Netherlorn estates of the [[Earl of Breadalbane and Holland|Breadalbane]] family (a branch of [[Clan Campbell]]) until the 20th century when their land was sold off as smaller farms and individual houses.{{sfnp|Withall|2013|p=viii}} In the early 16th century Muriel, daughter of the Thane of Calder, married Sir John Campbell, son of the [[Earl of Argyll]] at [[Inverary]] and so [[Clan Campbell of Cawdor]] was founded. "Many renowned and some infamous" clan members are buried at Kilbrandon churchyard on Seil.{{sfnp|Murray|1977|p=123}} From the late 17th century the Dukes of Argyll began to lease land on a competitive basis rather than as a means of strengthening the welfare of their senior clansmen. This resulted in mass evictions from Seil and the surrounding area in 1669, long before the [[Highland Clearances|clearances]] as such.{{sfnp|Duncan|2006|p=156}}

===Slate quarrying===
In 1730 Colin Campbell of Carwhin was appointed as the Captain of Ardmaddy and tasked with exploiting the area's natural resources. At this time Easdale slate had been used from as early as the 12th century using seasonal labour from the Ardmaddy estate.{{sfnp|Withall|2013|p=5}} In 1745 Campbell created the Easdale Marble and Slate Company in order to place  extractions from the area on a more commercial basis.{{sfnp|Withall|2013|p=6}} At that point Easdale was producing 1 million slates per annum; when [[Thomas Pennant]] visited two years later production had increased by 250% and as further quarries were opened this further increased the company's production to 5 million per annum by 1800.{{sfnp|Withall|2013|p=7}}

The little island of [[Eilean-a-beithich]] between Seil and Easdale was quarried down to a depth of {{cvt|80|m}} and other slate quarries were opened on Luing and at Balvicar. Railway lines were laid to take the rock from the quarries to nearby harbours. Peak production was reached in the 1860s at 9 million slates per annum, with export destinations including England, [[Nova Scotia]], the [[West Indies]], the US, Norway and New Zealand. The [[John Campbell, 6th Earl of Breadalbane|6th Earl of Breadalbane]] had less interest in the industry than his predecessors although during the time of the [[Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane|7th Earl]] a new quarry was opened at Ardencaple.{{sfnp|Withall|2013|pp=7-9}} However, disaster struck in 1881. In the early morning of 22 November a severe gale from the south-west wind and an exceptionally high tide flooded the quarries on Easdale and at Eilean-a-beithich "a large rocky buttress which supported a sea wall gave way under the excessive pressure of water".<ref name=electric>[http://www.electricscotland.com/books/netherlorn2.htm "Netherlorn and its Neighbourhood:Chapter II - Easdale"] Electric Scotland Retrieved 18 March 2012.</ref><ref name=southern>[http://www.southernhebrides.com/slate-islands.html "Slate Islands - The Islands that Roofed the World"] Southernhebrides.com. Retrieved 14 November 2009.</ref>  Eilean-a-beithich was never re-opened although production did continue at Easdale, Luing and Balvicar. Changes in demand - clay tiles were rapidly replacing slate as the roofing material of choice - led to commercial production ceasing by 1911. Balvicar quarry re-opened from the late 1940s until the early 1960s{{sfnp|Withall|2013|pp=9-10}} but slate is no longer mined anywhere in the Slate Islands.

==Economy and transport==
[[File:Luing Ferry - geograph.org.uk - 168769.jpg|thumb|Crossing the Cuan Sound - view from the slipway at Luing towards Cuan]]
Today, the island's commerce is largely dependent on agriculture, tourism and lobster fishing.{{sfnp|Withall|2013|pp=46-47}} The Ellenabeich Heritage Centre which opened in 2000, is run by the [[Slate Islands Heritage Trust]]. Located in a former slate quarry-worker's cottage, the centre has displays about life in the 19th century, slate quarrying and the local flora, fauna and geology.<ref>{{cite web| title=Ellenabeich Heritage Centre| publisher=[[Gazetteer for Scotland]]| url=http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst10016.html | access-date=2007-07-25}}</ref>{{sfnp|Murray|1977|p=121}}
Seil has been linked to the Scottish mainland since 1792/3 when the [[Clachan Bridge]] was built by engineer [[Robert Mylne (architect)|Robert Mylne]]. Also known as the "Bridge Over the Atlantic", the bridge was constructed with a {{cvt|21.3|m|ft}} span and has an arch {{cvt|12.2|m|ft}} above the sea bed in order to allow small craft of up to {{cvt|40.6|MT|LT}} to pass under it.{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}}{{sfnp|Murray|1977|p=121}}

Ferries sail from Ellenabeich to [[Easdale]], and from Cuan to [[Luing]] across the [[Cuan Sound]]. This stretch of water is only {{cvt|200|m}} wide but the spring tides race through it at up to {{cvt|14.4|kph|kn}}.{{sfnp|Murray|1977|p=123}} The Easdale ferry uses a [[Cable ferry|chain and cog wheels]] designed by John Whyte in the mid 19th century.{{sfnp|Withall|2013|p=41}}

==Religion==
[[File:Kilbrandon Church Interior - geograph.org.uk - 347878.jpg|thumb|left|The interior of Kilbrandon Church]]
Seil is associated with the 6th century saint [[Brendan of Clonfert]] who established a monastery on the Garvellachs and at a later date a cell on the site of Kilbrandon Church to which he gave his name.{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}}{{sfnp|Murray|1977|p=122}} The modern church, located between Balvicar and Cuan, has five stained glass windows by [[Douglas Strachan]] illustrating scenes from the [[Sea of Galilee]]. The central window depicts a ship in distress and "the portrayal in glowing colour of the storm's sweep, the crew's terror, and Christ's self-possession, has a lively drama unique in Highland stained glass".{{sfnp|Murray|1977|pp=122-23}}

==Folklore and media==
[[File:Tigh-an-Truish Inn - geograph.org.uk - 43313.jpg|thumb|Tigh an Truish Inn]]
The well-known [[pub]] Tigh an Truish (Gaelic for 'house of the trousers') at Clachan Seil is said to have obtained its name in the wake of the 1745 [[Jacobite Rebellion]]. Supposedly, shore-going islanders swapped their [[kilt]]s for trousers here after [[Highland dress]] was banned.{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}}{{#tag:ref|Haswell-Smith suggests that the name "may merely mark the site of a tailor's house".{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|p=76}}|group="Note"}}

Parts of ''[[Ring of Bright Water (film)|Ring of Bright Water]]'' were filmed on Seil.{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}}<ref>[http://www.scotlandthemovie.com/movies/fring.html "Ring of Bright Water (1969)"]. Scotland the Movie. Retrieved 30 May 2020.</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:An Cala, Seil (21762529624).jpg|thumb|left|An Cala house and gardens]]
[[Alexander Beith]], Free Church Moderator, spent about 4 years in this parish.
[[Arthur Murray, 3rd Viscount Elibank]] and his wife, the actress [[Faith Celli]], purchased property on Seil in the 1930s. They converted a row of derelict cottages into a substantial dwelling and created the {{cvt|2|ha|acre|0}} garden at An Cala, near Ellanabeich.{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}}{{sfnp|Withall|2013|p=46}}

The artist C. John Taylor lived at Ellanabeich for many years until his death in 1998.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200609130229/http://www.highlandarts.co.uk/c-john-taylor/ "C John Taylor: Poet/Artist/Composer"]}}. Highlandarts.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2020.</ref> His painting of the Clachan Bridge "Bridge Over The Atlantic" sold nearly a million copies.{{sfnp|Murton|2017|p=29}}

[[Frances Shand Kydd]], the mother of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], lived on the island for many years until her death in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3642707.stm|title=Obituary: Frances Shand Kydd|publisher=BBC|date=3 June 2004|access-date=29 May 2018}}</ref>

==Shipwrecks==
The Firth of Lorn is the seaway used by vessels going to and from Oban and [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]] from points south and the seas around Seil contain the sites of various shipwrecks.

The wooden sailing ship ''Norval'' ran aground in fog near the southern tip of Insh on 20 September 1870. The wreckage was still visible in 1995.{{sfnp|Baird|1995|p=117}} On 15 August 1900 the {{cvt|310.|t|LT}} iron [[steamship]] ''Apollo'' ran aground on Bono Reef {{cvt|2.4|km}} south west of Seil. She was carrying a cargo of granite cobble stones from [[Aberdeen]] to [[Newport, Wales|Newport]]. The wreck lies in a gully some {{cvt|10|m}} down amidst thick [[kelp]].{{sfnp|Baird|1995|pp=115}}  In February 1933 the [[Clyde puffer]] ''Hafton'' en route from [[Toboronochy]] on Luing to [[Isle of Mull|Mull]] sprung a leak and foundered about {{cvt|14|km|0}} into the journey. The crew of five took to a small boat and reached Ellanabeich safely.{{sfnp|Baird|1995|pp=115-16}}  A wreck of unknown provenance has been recorded {{cvt|.5|km|mi|1}} east of Rubha Garbh Airde at the northern end of Seil.{{sfnp|Baird|1995|p=117}}

==Wildlife ==
[[File:Erinus alpinus a1.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Erinus alpinus]]'', the "fairy foxglove"]]
In early summer the Clachan Bridge is covered in fairy foxgloves (''[[Erinus alpinus]]'').{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}} The narrows that the bridge spans trapped a {{cvt|23.8|m|ft}} whale with a {{cvt|6.4|m}} long  lower jaw in 1835 and no fewer than 192 [[pilot whale]]s in 1837, the largest of which was {{cvt|8|m}} long.{{sfnp|Haswell-Smith|2004|pp=76-78}}{{sfnp|Murray|1977|p=121}}

According to wildlife experts the entire [[European badger|badger]] population of the island may have been [[Badger culling in the United Kingdom|deliberately exterminated]] in 2007. Forty of the animals, whose setts were believed to be long established, may have been gassed to death, according to the police. The police also expressed concerns that two [[golden eagle]]s and one [[white-tailed sea eagle]] have been found poisoned near Seil in recent years, involving use of the banned substance [[carbofuran]].<ref>[http://www.wildland-network.org.uk/news/news2007/wn_news_apr07.htm " Police fear island's historic badger population has been exterminated"] wildland-network.org.uk reporting ''Press and Journal'' article (25 April 2007). Aberdeen. Retrieved 18 February 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703195918/http://www.wildland-network.org.uk/news/news2007/wn_news_apr07.htm |date=3 July 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6582969.stm |title=UK &#124; Scotland &#124; Glasgow and West &#124; Officers hunt for badger baiters |publisher=BBC News |date=23 April 2007 |access-date=30 March 2012}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Clachan Sound 05.JPG|Clachan Sound from [[Clachan Bridge]], looking north
File:Easdale Village - panoramio.jpg|The flooded quarry and village of [[Ellenabeich]] with the outline of the former island of [[Eilean-a-beithich]] at centre left and [[Easdale]] beyond
File:Isle of Seil 05.JPG|Slate on the shoreline of Seil
File:Quarry at Balvicar, Seil Island - geograph.org.uk - 65348.jpg|Flooded slate quarry near [[Balvicar]]
File:Oban Seil - geograph.org.uk - 385656.jpg|The scattered settlement of Oban Seil
File:Balvicar Bay From Ardshellach Farm - geograph.org.uk - 1719527.jpg|Balvicar Bay in winter, seen from mainland Scotland, looking towards the heights of Bàrr Mòr 
</gallery>

{{Portal|Scottish islands}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="Note"}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

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| isbn      =978-1-78027-467-6
}}
* {{citation|last=Nicolaisen|first=W.F.H.|date=1992|title= Arran Place-Names: a fresh look|journal=Northern Studies|volume=28}} 
*{{citation|last=Rae|first=Robert J.|title=A Voyage in Search of Hinba|journal=Historic Argyll|date=2011|issue=16|publisher=Lorn Archaeological and Historical Society|editor=J Overnell}}
*{{Citation
| last       =Withall
| first      =Mary
| year       =2013
| title      =Easdale, Benbecula, Luing & Seil: The Islands that Roofed the World
| publisher  =Luath Press
| location =Edinburgh
| isbn      =978-1-908373-50-2
}}
*{{citation|last=Youngson|first=Peter|title=Jura: Island of Deer|date=2001|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Birlinn|isbn=1-84158-136-4}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Seil, Scotland|Seil}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
*[https://slateislands.org.uk/ Slate Islands Heritage Trust]

{{Slate Islands}}
{{Hebrides}}
{{Islands of Scotland}}
{{Portal bar|Scotland}}

{{coord|56|18|0|N|5|37|12|W|display=title|region:GB_type:isle}}

[[Category:Seil| ]]
[[Category:Slate Islands]]
[[Category:Islands of Argyll and Bute]]